Crossings by Alex Landragin is the first book I have read by this author. I absolutely loved this book. I would love to read more by Mr Landragin in the future.
Five stars.

I loved this book. I have never read anything like it and I think I will always be able to remember my emotions reading it. You could see the thought and care that Alex Landragin put into writing this masterpiece.

If you enjoyed Chose Your Own Adventure books as a child, then check out Crossings! Alex Landragin uses an innovative storytelling technique that is risky and unique. This one definitely requires concentration and you may find yourself flipping back to review what happened and which storyline is which, but it is well worth it!

This is a passionate novel that combines romance with history with publishing and mystery finding connection through souls over the course of many generations. This is one of those stories that will stay with you long after you finish it!

Thank you to New Galley for the Advance Copy!

I'm very sorry I didn't get a chance to read it before it expired. I'll be looking for it when it publishes! Thanks for approving my request.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I was very intrigued by this title after reading the summary and high reviews on Goodreads. I loved the concept that the book could be read in two different ways and liked how that is explained as part of the beginning story. I liked that the characters determined from clues to read the book differently and that the readers have that option as well. I decided to first read the book straight through and found this way to be helpful in explaining the storyline and the characters as the book progresses from one crossing to the next. I enjoyed how the two main characters continued to overlap and find each other in various crossings. It was so intriguing that only one had memory of the past in each crossing. After finishing Crossings for my first time, I wanted to quickly go back and reread it following the second method so I could compare. This method does take more of a jumping approach as you alternate often between past and present. I liked this style as well but was grateful to already know the background and storyline. I cannot say how it would've been to start with this style of reading. I was also unable to finish reading the book under this method as my digital copy seemed to have a glitch at one point that would no longer let the story progress. I was continually circled back to a previous point in the book. Overall, a very creative book both in storyline and in the writing style. I found it enjoyable to read mostly for the cleverness of the writing, but also enjoyed the story and finding out what happened and what the character learned in each crossing.

This was a tough book for me. I'm an avid book reader of many genres. Being a voracious reader, this book with it's slow beginning is already a hard way to start off a book. It's a very convoluted and intricate plot full of history and mysticism that it takes a lot to follow along with this story. But wait, it's three stories tied in one. Each, one different but yet flows into the next story in a strange way that it's hard to tell one character's narrative from the last as the character "crossings" through time.
For me this book, the hardest part is that with each crossing, through the "transmigration of souls", life-force the was residing in the body is "switched". To me all I could see is these selfish people taking over the bodies of other people and put them in their old, dying bodies. It was creepy. So while the concept is unique, I couldn't get over it.
Also, this was a hard book for me to get engaged in. I tried skipping around, like some others recommended, but I still found the same problem. Each story left me with with an overly heavy description of the historical situation, but not in a way that makes me what to learn more about history. It's more of a forced historical perceptive rather than living through the characters eyes. So for me it was superficial, no immersion into the story. I know just couldn't finish this book. I have so many books I want to read and only one life to read them and I'm not going to force myself to make it to the end of a story engage when I'm so displeased with the journey. I know that others really enjoyed this book, but for me it was a no.

** I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. **

Crossings by Alex Landragin functions almost as a choose-your-own-adventure novel in that it can be read via two different approaches. The one I chose began with a German-Jewish bookbinder stumbling across a mysterious manuscript by Charles Baudelaire that purports to describe soul migration from one body to another. Love affairs and deaths ensue as we travel across the centuries and around the world with a narrator who changes bodies and is always seeking their other half. In brief, the novel is wildly imaginative and alluring.

Clever experiment of a book that can be read linear as three linked stories or in a back and forth manner with the printed order jumbled - solved in ebook format by 'go to here' links (that didn't work half the time in the Netgally Arc, so added an extra challenge!).

Read it using both methods and worked either way - kept me engaged and interested where it was going to end up.

(I want to thank NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for this ARC, which I received in exchange for an honest review.)

Do you believe in souls? What would happen if some souls could transmigrate to other bodies? What if this could happen while you are still alive? Would you believe it, if someone told you that you have met in a previous life? After enigmatic circumstances, a bookbinder is in possession of a mysterious manuscript that seems to be written by Charles Baudelaire and Walter Benjamin. To make it even better, there are two reading options: it can be read "as a collection of loosely connected stories or as a single novel". I chose the second one, which is called the Baroness sequence. This novel is partly a love story, and partly a magical book about crossings (the transmigration of souls) and the quest and adventures that the characters experience in completely different time periods and locations. It has romance, enigmas, history, and a pleasant style, so it was a good read.

What I liked: The author did a good job when he planned the mysteries that will keep the public reading. Every chapter provided me with some answers but gave me even more questions, so I wanted to discover how things got to a certain point. The book was interesting and the sequence of characters in the third part was particularly engaging. I also enjoyed that, even when France is a central place for every character, there are many journeys, and the author clearly made the most of his wanderlust to write the descriptions of the various settings.

What I did not like: I really liked the idea of the crossings, so I think adding famous characters as Walter Benjamin, Charles Baudelaire, and Coco Chanel was forced. I hoped that at some moment I would understand why the election of these people as characters was essential for the narrative, but now I am certain that the story of souls and albatross was already good enough and it did not need the fancy names.

This is not my usual fare. I don’t even know what genre it is, It’s a historical novel, with elements of science fiction that reminded me of the excellent Cloud Atlas. There is a mystery, murders, the transmigration of souls and an immortal love story. It can be read in a different order, either chapter by chapter as usual, or according to the way one of the characters organized the manuscript. The content is obviously the same, but reading it a second time in a different order changes the meaning. There are three main characters who are different people, so they change while remaining the same. I loved the ending if you read the chapters out of order (if it makes sense). I’d recommend new readers to tackle the chapters in the suggested order, not the conventional one. I loved the descriptions of Paris. The loving way the author shows it in different timelines is wonderful. That said, I didn’t quite enjoy the novel as I admired it. It’s really well written but too cerebral for my taste. Still, quite an impressive debut, it is just a matter of taste.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/ St. Martin's Press!

This book is phenomenal. Absolutely mind-blowing. It's been so long since I've managed to finish a novel of this length within four days - less than a week! I couldn't put it down. Something new constantly pops up, and it definitely captured my attention from beginning to end.

A manuscript, entitled <i>Crossings</i>, found its way into the hands of a bookbinder. But before he could do anything with it, the woman who had given him the task of binding it passed away. He finally decided to go against the instruction that was explicitly given to him, and read it. Crossings. It has three short stories, the first being a ghost story penned by Charles Baudelaire, the second about an exiled German during World War II by the name of Walter Benjamin, and the third of a deathless enchantress whose story spanned seven lifetimes. The bookbinder realised that it could either be read in a straightforward manner, or in the Baroness' sequence, as revealed by the very woman who died. We, the readers, are also given that choice. I chose the Baroness' sequence, having read multiple reviews that favoured it over the other. There's a love story within, filled with the longing of lovers and the life that could be. Feeling empathetic for the characters who have gone through <i>so much</i> comes naturally, and I know I will miss them.

<i>Crossings</i> started off impactful. It already gripped me with its first two sentences. I wanted to know more, and I breezed through it very quickly. I soon realised that the chapters seemed quite disconnected, and it left me intrigued, if a little confused and frustrated. But upon pushing on, I begin to understand how cleverly everything has been put together. Three short stories into one. As the mystery of these Crossings come to light, I was left surprised at every revelation. Every part of me was charged, and I knew I needed to find out more, more and more. I also didn't want it to end. Landragin's writing style is also so unique - and what an ease to read!

The idea of taking the concept of the eyes being windows to a person's soul so literally? All I've got to say is hats off to you, Alex Landragin. Bravo.

The big question is: will we be getting a proper ending, or is it going to end off like this? Hmm.

I received this book as an eARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Crossings by Alex Landragin is a love story with three interconnecting narratives. One thread chronicles the last days of French poet Charles Baudelaire as he writes his final novel. Another thread has us following a Jewish German man living in World War II Paris shortly before its occupation by Hitler’s Germany. The third and final thread begins on a small island in the 1770s following lovers Alula and Koahu. How these three threads intertwine is at first a mystery, but as you continue reading, it becomes clear.

The part that really grabbed me about this book was that it can be enjoyed two different ways. You can read the novel front to back like you would any other novel. This presents the three story threads separately, meaning you finish one completely, then go on to the next. The second way is the “Baroness Sequence”. This interweaves the three narratives and goes in a roughly round robin style. Baudelaire gets a chapter, Walter Benjamin gets a chapter, and Alula gets a chapter. The Kindle version of the book I was provided had hyperlinks at the end of each chapter that I pressed to bring me to the next part of the sequence. I can’t imagine doing this in hardcover and audio would be next to impossible unless you are willing to stop and start the narration. For my reading, I choose the Baroness Sequence and I am quite happy that I did.

With the Baroness sequence, it is much quicker to figure out what is interconnecting the three narratives. If you read the book the conventional way, you might be confused on why we are getting these two threads. The final thread, called “Tales of the Albatross”, cements the characters we are seeing. The emotional beats of the story also change as well. I enjoyed that the book was written in two different ways. I have many friends that don’t enjoy interweaving plot threads and would like to just stay with a character until they are no longer part of the story. It eases the burden of jumping back and forth and remembering where characters were when we last saw them. I personally enjoy interweaving story threads, as long as each thread has a point and carries the theme. And for the most part, <i>Crossings</i> succeeded.

That’s not to say that the book didn’t drag in certain places or that the threads were equally interesting. I personally did not enjoy the Baudelaire chapters. I read <i>The Alice Network</i> recently and there is quite a bit of talk on Baudelaire, so much that I have no desire to read or see the name “Baudelaire” ever again. In the Baroness sequence, it didn’t feel like there was any real point for these chapters. I think the Baudelaire’s piece of the overall narrative was sufficiently covered with other story threads, particularly in the third story thread. I also strongly disagreed with having the middle thread be the final chapter of the book. For a book that spent so much time focusing on the love of two characters, spending the last sentence on hate doesn’t make much sense in my mind.

Regarding the third story thread, some of these chapters felt overlong. In my Kindle, the third story thread begins at the 45% mark of the novel and continues until the very end. While the third thread is the heart of this book it does make me wonder if there was another way of organizing this thread so that it flowed better. A large part of these chapters was centered around logistics, which is fine, but doesn’t mesh well with the rest of the book. Alula is recounting her story to the reader (or Koahu) from the future, so there is also a tense change as well. She is a much more introspective character then Baudelaire or Walter. It is also held back by the addition of a third character that the reader needs to keep track of. I can’t really say anything else without spoiling ^_^

Now let’s talk about what the book does well. From the outset, you understand what moves the characters. Alula has a goal and drives the rest of the narrative. The overall premise of this book has been done before, but was presented in a different way. This book reminds of House of Leaves, but not as intimidating. There isn't another book coming to mind, outside of those chose your own adventure novels, that really played with the story structure. I quite enjoyed it but recognize that it isn't for everyone. The interesting story structure allowed for three narratives to form a cohesive tapestry of events. One of the more enjoyable parts of the book was starting to see how these characters intersect particularly with the earlier book threads. Pieces of information that felt extraneous, like most of the preface, take a whole new meaning as you revisit them. And then the beautiful tragedy that is Alula’s and Koahu’s relationship. Words cannot describe the painfulness of their relationship, made even more painful by the knowledge that they are forever locked in this cycle.


This novel, at its very core, is a love story. A love that is so deep and strong that it transcends time and space. While I’m not a big fan of sappy love stories, I really enjoyed this one. It has just enough bitterness to not give me cavity. I will probably reread this book again shortly. This book lends itself to multiple readings, but not because you have to to understand the narrative, but because you want to to see more of the intersections. I can’t remember the last time a book made me want to finish it just to read it again.

I received a copy of Crossings from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I would classify Crossings as a concept book. The concept is how you choose to read - straight through or in a mixed-up order as suggested by the woman who owned the manuscript.

My intention was to read it in the artsy order and see how it went. The "suggested" order was a little confusing - especially since the narration is first-person. I would have finished it in this way, but my Kindle suddenly went into a loop when I tried to choose the new place. After that blip, I finished reading it in order, skipping any chapters I'd already read. Then after I hit the end, I went back and started from the beginning and read straight through for a little bit. After examining the chapter titles, I realized I had read the entire novel in, yet again, a different order. Whew! I don't even know if you care about all of that, but since I received this as an ARC, I feel like I have to disclose my experience. I bet the blip I hit was solved.

Romping through time highlights man's inhumanity to man in the lens of the two characters crossing into other people for generations. The book doesn't make a direct commentary on the atrocities, but they're always there from broad sweeping problems like slavery and the Nazi regime hunting down Jews to the small pains we inflict on individuals. Love is another theme carried through the book. Even when the reasons for actions become murky, love was the original force. I contemplated how love might change us as well as how love might drive our actions.

I enjoyed Crossings for its clever concept and also for the writing and broad view. If I had my druthers (do people say druthers anymore?), I would have liked a little more emotional resonance in the situations. How heartbroken was he when the woman he loved pushed him away? How did she feel when her true love didn't recognize her? Did each life they live leave scars that affected their actions as a new person? I'm not saying it was a list of facts, only that I wanted a little more emotion.

My favorite moments in the book were when Madeline and the "admirer of Baudelaire" interact. I feel like this section is the glue that makes the other storylines pull together into a cohesive whole. I also felt the most emotion from this storyteller.

Crossings is an excellent debut novel and I highly recommend it - I believe it will appeal to people who love historical fiction as well as fantasy. The twists and turns will keep your wits sharp.

This is a really unique book in the way that it can be read two ways. I thought it was a really interesting and well written story but I wasn’t all that compelled to read it the second time. I think this book will really appeal to the audience of House of Leaves or S in the way that it’s more of an experience than just a story. It was a solid read and I think it would definitely have a great niche with some readers who want a non linear plot.

An intriguing read and you needed all your whits about you to undertake. Set in Paris with a richly descriptive text, the reader is given the option to follow the traditional sequence or the Baroness sequence of the story. I loved this complex story and the thrilling way it en-captured me.

To start with there are two ways to read this book. In order of the pages or in a different order (links to jump around at the end of each chapter). I did the latter. The book was interesting and caught me. Near the end the links were a bit off (prereleased copy) but I was able to figure out where I was in the table of contents (end of prologue) and finish it off. The books read well and I really wanted to find out what happened to them next but the ending still worked.

A literary puzzle of the finest order, Alex Landragin's debut novel, CROSSINGS, marks the debut of an author to watch. Lushly written, magical, historically rich, these chose-your-own-adventure type narratives are ambitious and captivating.

The premise of the story is great. I loved the option to read it in two different formats. I originally read it in order and when I was done went back and skimmed it in the other order. Very original and well written. I guess the only thing I disliked was the open ending, but I’m assuming the story was maybe left open to later be continued in another novel.

This is a fascinating read. Crossings takes the reader all over the world over the course of about two centuries, from a distant Pacific island in the 18th century, to pre-Civil War Louisiana, to Paris in World War 2. It plays with real-life figures like Charles Baudelaire, Jeanne Duval, and even Coco Chanel.
Alex Landragin, through his initial narrator, proposes two approaches to the book: read it cover to cover, or read it in an order designated by one of his characters, which alternates between the different eras. I tried the latter, and found it easy enough to follow (especially in the ebook edition, which includes linked text to take you to the next section), and slightly reminiscent of a Choose Your Own Adventure, except without the choosing part. The story gripped me and led me along with few hitches until the very end, when the final link didn't work properly and the story just kind of ended, as if there was a section missing at the end to take us back to the present. A reader choosing the cover-to-cover version might feel differently about the conclusion in that version, though, and all in all I enjoyed it tremendously.

Alex Landragin careens readers through time and genres in his miraculous debut, Crossings. The preface begins with an offering to the reader by the first of many narrators. A Paris bookbinder reveals that a Baroness gave him an unbound document to bind it into one book properly.

Once bound, the novel reads as three separate stories. One is a lost story purportedly written by poet Charles Baudelaire. Another is a story of fated lovers during the Nazi occupation of Paris, where the supposed Baudelaire manuscript takes on a driving role. The third is told from the perspective of a south pacific magus who travels from their small island through time by jumping bodies via an ancient form of soul switching.

All of this ties epically and beautifully together with a heartfelt ending. While it may take some diligence by the reader to keep all the aspects of this twisting story straight, Landragin delivers timely intrigue and answers to his impressive literary maze.

Read this novel as it is presented, or, as the preface reveals, try reading it more linearly by jumping from story to story via the Baroness' sequence. Either way, the beauty of the novel is that it harkens to the storytelling of old. Complex, lush and mysterious, Crossings is a legendary adventure with simple but seductive folklore charmingly reimagined. Unassumingly magical!